Obviously... (Minsk accords) The only real (and mild) change they made for the special operation was to recognise the DPR and the LPR as independent states (21 February) to "protect the people" and the "demilitarization" and denazification" demand: essentially a demand for neutrality. The initial Russian army of 135,000 or so Russian troops was not enough to defeat a Ukraine with 200,000, substantial reserves and on its own territory. Russia had thus hoped a hard strike not damaging major social infrastructure would enable rapprochement and compromise and this nearly came about with "significant progress" being made in the March talks when the Russians provisionally agreed to withdraw in return for:
"....Kyiv renouncing its ambitions to join Nato and promising not to host foreign military bases or weaponry in exchange for protection from allies such as the US, UK and Turkey..."
Unfortunately and in some part thanks to warmongering Boris Johnson in April this never happened.
This failure ultimately resulted in a change in Russian policy with the creation of the "four new regions" of Russia (30 Sept ): Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia whose populations are now "...our citizens forever".
-I would reckon under the new policy Odessa and Mykolaiv are cards yet to be played for.